Chilling Out
by iBayfully
Summary: He's a charming, caring, and humorous ice harvester. She's a lonely, scared, and confused ice queen. They may seem like opposites, but they're there for each other. AU, slightly OOC. This is a Kristelsa story! :)
1. Chapter 1: A New Face (Or Two)

**(A/N: Kristelsa always seemed like something really fun to do, and there are hardly any stories about it! So I decided to contribute myself. :D It's still the same universe and all, but I'm still going to classify it as an AU; the characters are kind of OOC, and the events are entirely different than those of the movie, and you'll see why pretty quickly. Enjoy, and tell me what you think!)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

…Damnit.

Chapter 1: A New Face (Or Two)

_I need to get out of here._

Elsa had just been found out; the _one _thing that absolutely could not happen had happened.

And it had to be the day of her coronation.

Why on _Earth _did it have to be at her goddamn coronation, where practically the whole world could see just who she was?

She shook herself out of it and continued up the mountain. "The past is the past," she continuously murmured to herself. "It's over now, and I need to focus on getting away fr – ah!"

Elsa was rudely knocked onto the snow-covered ground.

"P-please, stay away!" she stuttered immediately, before she got the chance to look up. When she did though, she was startled senseless.

She was face to face with a reindeer.

"AH!" she shrieked, tumbling backwards.

The reindeer cocked it's head at her, and she grumbled. "It's just…a freakin' reindeer," she muttered begrudgingly.

"_Just _a freakin' reindeer?" came a voice from behind her.

"GAH!"

For the third time in twenty seconds, Elsa stumbled backwards into the snow.

"Hey, calm down!" the man said, laughing. He held out a hand. "I'm sorry for…all of _that."_

Elsa glanced up at the man. He was a pretty big guy; broad shoulders, blonde hair, and a black beanie atop his head.

Elsa couldn't help but notice how toned his muscles were.

She felt herself blush slightly. _He's handsome, too – Elsa!_

She was tempted to grab his hand, but remembering her powers at the last second, she neglected it and stood up on her own.

Brushing herself off, she told him, "T-thank you, but…I really need to get going." With that, Elsa started towards the opposite direction.

The man didn't stop there, though.

"Huh? Hey, wait!" He started to jog after her, and Elsa picked up her pace.

He beat her to it and was at her side once more.

"Look, I didn't mean to make a bad impression – or hit you with a reindeer, of course – so…can we start over?"

Elsa was ready to blurt out a "No!" and leave, but something told her not to. Maybe she needed this; a little human interaction that wouldn't immediately accuse her of witchcraft or sorcery sounded refreshing, after all.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the man slowly and nodded.

A smile widened the man's face as he extended his hand again.

"I'm Kristoff," he said.

Elsa smiled back and took his hand – _make sure it's gloved, Elsa – _and shook. "Elsa."

Kristoff's eyes widened. "Wait, Elsa as in…the _queen _of Arendelle?"

Elsa let out a slight chuckle. "Just call me Elsa, please," she added.

"But…but your Majesty –"

"Kristoff, it's Elsa," she told him again, smirking.

The man coughed uncomfortably. "Right. Well, uh, your M – Elsa – god, this is going to be hard."

Elsa let out a giggle – she hardly giggled – and smiled genuinely at the man. "What brings you out here at this time, Kristoff?"

The mountain man chuckled. "I could easily ask the same for you," he responded. "But I'm out here because I just got done harvesting."

Elsa raised an eyebrow curiously. "Harvesting…?"

"Oh, ice," he added.

The queen gulped nervously.

"You…are going to hate me," she muttered very quietly.

"What's that?"

"Oh, uh, nothing…erm, I was wondering – is there, perhaps, a place I could stay for the night? I'll explain everything later, I promise, it's just that…now's probably not the best time."

"I've got a lodge nearby," Kristoff suggested. "I was just headed there now, and it'd be an honor to have her Ma – Elsa, gosh – as a guest."

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help but giggle again. "Thank you, Kristoff."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Here we are!" Kristoff's voice rang out as he opened up the cabin door. "It's, uh…it's not much, but it's home."

Elsa stepped in. "Thank you," she said, and looked around. There was a small dining table in the right corner, a hefty bed in the left, and a couch facing the fireplace, which flickered lively in the dark.

It was definitely different to what Elsa was used to.

She grew up in the isolated walls of a castle, for crying out loud; this was very strange.

But the homely feeling was something she had never really felt before, and she instantly decided that she liked – no, she _loved _it.

"I've only got one bed," Kristoff reported, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You can have it – I'll take the couch."

Elsa paused. "No, no, it's okay – I can sleep on –"

Kristoff shook his head, chuckling. "Please, just take the bed," he replied. "I won't take no for an answer, your Elsa – uh, Maje – Elsa."

It was the queen's turn to chuckle, smiling brightly. "We'll work on that," she reassured him in a teasing manner. "And if you insist." She sat down at the couch and sighed contently. "Thank you, again. I mean it."

Kristoff nodded. "It's my pleasure," he said.

Kristoff was dying to know just what exactly had caused the queen to want to stay a night, but he knew better then to blatantly ask out of the blue – or ask at all, for that matter. He'd save it for later.

As for his actual condition: well, wasn't it something.

Here was the _queen _of _Arendelle – _no big deal or anything – sleeping in his own godforsaken _bed _for a night.

_What?!_

Kristoff shook his head and glanced at the queen, who was unfolding the blanket he had put out for her.

She reached up into her hair with her gloved hands – why were they still gloved? – and undid her bun in one swift motion, letting her hair cascade down her left shoulder in one big braid.

Kristoff felt his heart skip a beat.

Unfortunately for him, she noticed him staring.

"Did I…did I do something wrong?" she asked him, worried.

He snapped himself out of it and shook his head, throwing a last second grin on his face. "Nah, nah, you're fine," he responded quickly. Blushing slightly, he added, "I'm going to go feed Sven quickly; sit tight, okay?"

She nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Kristoff ducked outside and took a deep breath. Scratching his head sheepishly, he clicked his tongue thoughtfully.

_This is going to be interesting. _

**(A/N: Once break commences, I'm happy to say I will be typing a lot more then usual! Yay! **

**I hope you guys like this story; I certainly am excited to see where it goes. Be sure to leave a review, favorite, and follow! It makes my day, and I mean it. :D Thank you!)**


	2. Chapter 2: That's an Issue

**(A/N: Thanks to all who left a review, favorite, or follow! It means so much to me (: While the story won't be incredibly long, there may be sequels ;D And I love writing about this pair already. Hope you enjoy!)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Frozen related at all. :(

Chapter 2: "That's an Issue"

A rather rude ray of sun found it's way onto Elsa's face, and she moaned in agony as she blocked the sunlight.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," a voice nearby her said. Still insouciant of her surroundings, Elsa grumbled and pulled the blanket over her face.

"Five…more minutes," she managed.

The voice chuckled. "Sven says otherwise."

_Wait…who is talking?_

Elsa's eyes flew open and she whirled upward to see just who was speaking to her.

She was met face to face with an amused reindeer.

Again.

"OH MY –"

She tumbled backwards and rammed her head into the wall.

"Ow…"

Kristoff let out a deep laugh as he moved over to help Elsa sit up. "I'm sorry, my queen," he said dramatically, "for your unfortunate –" He raised an eyebrow at Elsa. "That's quite the bedhead you got going there."

"Wha – ohhh, no." Elsa's hands flew to her hair, and sure enough, it was everywhere.

Cheeks flushing, she fumbled for something to block her tedious hairdo.

"Oh my god – I am – so – sorry you had to see this…oh –"

"We've all had bedheads before, your – mm, Elsa." The man chuckled. "Don't worry too much; there's a shower over there, free of charge."

He pointed to the small room nearby, and Elsa thanked him quickly and scurried over to the overhead.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So, tell me – why were you in such a hurry to get away from Arendelle?"

The two sat, facing each other on the couch. Elsa was holding a warm cup of cocoa, provided by chef Kristoff – "you need to add a good amount of sugar, but not _too _much" – who was more than willing to give Elsa tips on making hot chocolate.

The queen frowned slowly and shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it," she started. "See, my sister got engaged to someone she had just met that day, and me believing it was too early, rejected their blessing in marriage; let's just say one thing led to another, and now I'm here."

Kristoff took it all in before chuckling. "You explained it, all right." He whistled. "First day, huh?"

Elsa bit her bottom lip and nodded. He clucked his tongue and stated, "That's a little…too early, don't you think?"

Elsa sighed in relief; she was glad to know it wasn't just her who thought so.

"Yes, of course," she said. "And then it all went wrong…"

"So…what exactly _did _go wrong?"

Elsa hesitated. _Well…I guess I'll have to tell him eventually. He's going to find out either way._

Taking a glass of water, she looked Kristoff in the eye.

"Promise me you won't…freak out, or accuse me of witchcraft, or…you know, call me a monster – it, uh, it kind of has already happened.

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. _What the hell…?_

But he nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Elsa smiled in thanks before turning her attention toward the glass in her hand. Instantly, the particles in the glass became pure ice.

She glanced back up to find Kristoff gaping at her.

"Please don't…freak out…" she grimaced.

Kristoff opened his mouth slowly.

"That was…holy shit," he breathed. Elsa couldn't help but smile, and he rolled his eyes. "Pardon my French. That was…that was incredible!"

A smile grew on his lips and he stared at Elsa with intense admiration, and maybe even a little jealousy.

"T-thank you," Elsa said. "It's nice to know someone out there sees it as a gift."

Kristoff laughed. "Well, who wouldn't?"

Her smile faltered. "Well, actually…I think pretty much all of Arendelle fears me now."

Kristoff frowned. "Hm…well, you being queen and all…I think that's an issue."

He then turned his head to the window, and he gasped. "What on Earth…"

Elsa followed his gaze. "What are you – oh, my –"

The two rushed out of the cabin and looked around frantically.

"Does it usually snow in this area?"

Kristoff shook his head. "N-no…it does a little farther up, but that's nowhere near here…"

A snowfall had begun, and it was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

For crying out loud, it was summertime.

And yet, nature had decided to turn the world upside down and let it snow.

But was it really nature's fault?

Elsa began to bite off more than she could chew. _This is all my fault, _she thought immediately. _I started this – what the hell am I supposed to – _

"Elsa – look!" Kristoff interrupted. She whirled around to see the direction of which he was pointing in and she gulped.

Kristoff was pointing directly towards Arendelle.

It was completely covered in snow.

"Arendelle is…what?!"

Kristoff turned to Elsa, but fear and panic had already begun to take over. She gripped her hair in began to move uncontrollably.

"Get it together, get it together," she muttered to herself.

"Your m – Elsa, are you alright?"

She shook her head. "I – no – I – I need to get out of here!"

Without thinking, she began to walk briskly in the direction of the North Mountain.

"Hold on –" Kristoff began to follow her. "You aren't leaving by yourself, are you?"

Elsa didn't look back. "T-thank you for everything, Kristoff, but I…I need to leave. Now."

She continued to walk away, but was met with a pair of antlers as Kristoff rode the reindeer to catch up.

"Elsa, you are not going on your own," he stated. "You don't…you don't even know this area, do you?"

Elsa didn't answer.

"Come on, Elsa…just, please let me go with you. Wherever."

She hesitated, and he added, "I won't be doing anything for a while, anyway – if the fjords are in a frozen state, then so is my ice business."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I-I really didn't mean to halt your –"

He cut her off with a raised hand and a chuckle.

"Hey, hey – don't worry about my ice business," he assured her. "However, to make it up to me, take me with you!" He smiled at her, and Elsa couldn't help but notice how contagious it was. Soon, despite of herself, she had a small grin on her lips as well.

"Okay, fine," she said. Elsa looked him in the eyes.

"Thank you – I mean it," she added. "I'm sure letting you come along would've been the best decision."

He smirked and bowed dramatically. "Anything for her royal Highness," he said in his best (or worst) posh accent. She let out a giggle – he was good at getting her to do that – and grinned back at him.

"Shut up."

He chuckled. "So…where are we headed?"

The queen nodded, back on task. "The North Mountain."

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Sorry I take longer than most to update a story, especially since it's a thousand words only, but I just make up this stuff as I go along, and writer's block can kill me sometimes. That's my excuse. :) Anyway, tell me what you think! Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3: Kingdom of Isolation

**(A/N: I'm beginning to really love this pairing a lot. Still a loyal Kristanna shipper, no doubt, but just think about it for a moment; she's the ice queen and he's the ice harvester/merchant. It's perfect! And plus, I'm pretty sure the Kristoff dolls are sold with the Elsa dolls. I wouldn't know for sure, though.)**

**Lord Destroyer (Guest): **Since this is an AU story, things will happen differently. You will find out how exactly in the future ;P

**Disclaimer: **You know that #1 animated movie in the nation? Yeah, Frozen? I don't own that.

Chapter 3: Kingdom of Isolation

Back at Arendelle, things were not going so well.

"Hans," Anna had begged the prince. "We _have _to go back for her; who on Earth _knows _what she'll do?"

The prince thought for moment. Then he nodded.

"You're…you're right."

Looking around to the villagers, he announced, "I need volunteers to go and look for Queen Elsa; this needs to stop, and it needs to stop soon."

He got several hands, and soon a search party had formed.

"I'm coming, too," Anna declared.

"Anna? Anna, no –"

The princess wouldn't take no for an answer.

"She's my sister," she said defiantly. "She may be hostile, which is why there needs to be someone she can talk to; if I have to. And I _know _she'd never hurt me."

Hans did not want her coming along, but he had no choice.

"Very well. We're leaving in thirty minutes; take whatever you need."

He eyed the North Mountain determinedly. "You're time is up, my queen."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So tell me, your Maj – damn it – Elsa," Kristoff began as the two trekked through the snow. "Why…why exactly do you want to head to the North Mountain?"

The queen shrugged. "I don't…I don't know, really." He urged her to go on.

"It just seems like…the place I need to be right now."

Kristoff thought for a moment. "So you think isolation is going to help you?"

Elsa shook her head. "Honestly, it doesn't sound half bad right now, considering all that has happened recently."

Kristoff was ready to suggest staying with him, but he held his tongue in what seemed like disappointment. _I should just let her do what she wants._

"Well, if it'll help you," he said after a while.

Elsa shot him a grateful smile. "Thank you, again. Really. What…what will you do about your business?"

He chuckled and turned to her. "I think that all depends on you."

The queen grimaced. "Look, again, I'm really sorry –"

"Hey!" he raised his hands up and smiled. "I haven't done something like this before; so let's make it fun. We'll worry about it when we do."

Elsa smiled once more and nodded. "Okay."

The two continued up the mountain, stopping every once and a while to take in the view. Most of it was of Arendelle; it was a sight that couldn't be ignored. Snow covered the castle top to bottom, with every rooftop completely overrun with white powder.

The queen had to constantly shake herself out of the fact that it was that way because of her and her only, of how she had failed to conceal her powers…she had one job and one job only –

"Elsa?"

The man eyed her cautiously. "Y-yes?"

"You're doing it again…shaking, I mean. Are you…are you cold?" He subconsciously wrapped an arm around her, and she instinctively leaned into him.

"Yeah – I mean no, I'm not cold, I'm just…I'm scared."

She glanced up at him and saw concern as he furrowed his brow. "You always know you can talk about it to me, right?"

She nodded. "Of course…it's just…knowing that this was all because of me is terrifying enough, but there are probably already people out looking for me, and I don't even know their intentions – they could be good, but they could just as easily be bad, and – well – I don't know how I'm going to –"

"Hey, hey! Relax." He held her tighter: firm, but gentle. "That's why I'm here. I'm going to help you, okay? Not everyone wants to hurt you, I know for a fact."

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help but smile up at the man. "How…how do you know?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Well, you've got a sister, right?" Elsa nodded, and he continued. "She's got to be worrying about you, and in the most caring way possible. I don't think Princess Anna will be bent on hurting you. And plus – " Kristoff turned slightly red, and Elsa noticed – "I know I won't hurt you."

Elsa's smile grew wider. "Thanks, Kristoff; that's sweet."

He returned the facial gesture, and the two stared into each other's eyes for a bit.

Or, perhaps more than a bit.

Sven finally neighed loudly, snapping both of them out of it.

"Ahem, right. Well, uh, it's getting dark, so I'll set up the tent. Tomorrow, the road will be good to use the sleigh."

Elsa nodded, and Kristoff began to set up.

"Um, do you need any help?

He waved her off with a smile. "Nah, I got it. Thank you, though."

"Mhm." She watched him set up the makeshift home, working each gear and pole with concentration.

Elsa let her eyes travel to his muscles, which flexed as he moved his arms.

_Wow; he really is attractive. The…the way he smiles when he looks at me like he's doing right now is so – wait, what?_

She shook herself out of it and noticed Kristoff grinning her direction with a twinkle in his eye.

"Am I blocking the view, my queen?" he teased, and Elsa flushed.

"Or am I the view?" he added in a quieter tone, but Elsa was too embarrassed to hear.

As she purposely looked away with her cheeks slightly tinted red, he couldn't help but smile genuinely. _She looks cute when she's flustered._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"I leave the royal dignitaries in charge while we are gone," Anna announced to the citizens. She looked at Hans, who walked over to her.

"Keep an eye on the Duke's men; I think something is up," he spoke in an undertone, and she nodded. "Thank you for letting me come," she told him.

Hans shot her a grin. "Of course; anything for the princess." Anna smiled before turning back to ready her horse.

The prince chuckled. "Just know that you won't have a reason to return when you're dead."


	4. Chapter 4: An Odd Way of Seeking Refuge

**(A/N: Yay! Chapter 4 is here. Hope you guys had a fun Christmas – if you celebrate it, of course – and if you don't celebrate it, then I still hope you enjoyed your day :D **

**Lord Destroyer (Guest): **Don't worry, I don't like him that much either. I'm already trying to hint at his real intentions in the previous chapter and the chapters to come.

**Shadow390: **I know! When I watched it, they seemed like a pair that was going to happen. Just think about it; the ice harvester and the ice queen. :P

**Also, I just thought I'd like to thank:**

**Guest**

**The Legend of Rune Factory**

**Teenaged Author**

**twominutes**

**Guest 2**

**disneyfan390**

**Shadow390**

**Guest 3**

**godbob111**

**lmarielondon (Guest)**

**TheCoreConundrum **

**byinj (Guest)**

**Lord Destroyer (Guest)**

**skylerchili**

**AlicornSalad11**

**Guest 4**

**BlueStar'sFire**

**MAD- The Awesomeman**

**PotatoTCreations**

**lolli-dragon12**

**lmncake**

**Anon (Guest)**

**Pica Britanica**

**Frat (Guest) **

**Thank you to everyone above, who left reviews for this story. I hope I didn't forget anyone. You don't know how much your feedback means to me. Thank you ALL!)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the best movie ever. That'd be Frozen.

Chapter 4: An Odd Way of Seeking Refuge

Kristoff shivered as he scanned the trees around him. A strong wind had arrived out of nowhere and was swaying them back and forth, each and every branch dancing in the afternoon air. Grabbing two coats, he threw one on and moved to hand one to Elsa, who was not at all…shivering?

_Oh, right. She has magical powers that let her control snow; why don't you throw in an immunity to the cold as well! No big deal._

He put the coat back onto the back of the sled and inspected the woman as she gazed out contently.

The sudden cold was freezing the hell out of him; he was a tough guy who was used to this weather, and yet it still bothered him in a way it had never bothered him before.

Then there was Elsa – she didn't move at all, for God's sake – who was completely unbothered by the unexpected change of weather.

Something else seemed to be bothering her, however.

Occasionally, she would twitch or cringe, then shake herself out of it. Before long, Kristoff began to notice something; whenever she made an abrupt movement, the wind around them would accelerate.

No, he had to be imagining things.

The storm grew rapidly, and it reached a point when it simply became too harsh to travel through, causing Sven to pull up under a large tree.

"We have to stop; the storm is too strong!" Kristoff yelled.

"What?!"

"We have to stop! The storm is too goddamn strong!"

Elsa winced.

"That may be because of me…"

"Wait, what?!"

Three hours away, the weather was not any better.

Hans grunted as he signaled his men and Anna to pull up under a short hill for shelter.

"First things first, we need to survive this blizzard!" he shouted at them.

Anna looked around cautiously, before slowly shaking her head.

"That's…that's no blizzard," she stated with a fierce look in her eyes. "That's my sister!"

Hans turned away and snarled. Maybe this would be harder than he hoped.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Conceal, conceal, conceal…"

"E-Elsa?"

"Conceal…ah, _shit!" _The queen swore before grasping her hair in panic.

"The weather; it's…it's all my fault!"

"W-what?!"

"I was…I was thinking about everything again, I-I know, I shouldn't have been, but it was just too…the outcome seems so scary right now, and…and I worry so much about _her _and I just don't want to – "

"Elsa!" Kristoff firmly placed his hands on her shoulders, shutting her up instantly. "Control it," he spoke slowly. "Take deep breaths, think happy thoughts…remember the things you care about!" He massaged her shoulders slowly in an attempt to calm her down more.

Thankfully, it worked.

Elsa began to breath slowly, and Kristoff could feel her muscles grow less tense. She glanced up at him, and he winked and nodded. "Keep it up; you're doing great!"

The storm began to slow down rapidly, until it was no more than a light breeze in the air.

The trees had calmed down, and light snowflakes were falling from the sky.

Elsa breathed heavily and leaned back in the sleigh, exhausted.

She felt a weight next to her move back as well, and she glanced over to her right to see Kristoff, also exhausted, breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she told him slowly. The man turned and nodded. "Anything for her Majesty," he teased, chuckling as she punched him lightly.

Elsa felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks, and she glanced up – he wasn't looking – and sighed. It was too soon; she had just met him days ago. When he had told her to think about what she cared for, he was the first one to pop into her mind.

Elsa shook her head and rested her head in her hands. _I am such a hypocrite…sorry, Anna. _

The memory of her neglecting to give her sister's marriage a blessing materialized, and she had to fight it back before another storm decided it wanted to start.

Kristoff looked around for a bit, then nodded. "The North Mountain isn't too far from here; do you want to keep going?"

Elsa thought for a second. _The faster I get away from the people, the better._

She nodded. "Okay."

_30 minutes later_

Kristoff was right; as dusk began to settle, they found themselves at the base of the tall peak.

"Ah, here we are!" Kristoff extended his arms dramatically and turned to look around him. "The North Mountain."

Elsa glanced around her briskly before nodding. "We're climbing it," she said immediately, nearly jumping out of the sled. Kristoff blinked. "Wait, what?"

But the queen was already moving up the slope, completely lost in her thoughts. "Hey, your M – Elsa, wait up!"

Quickly dragging the sled along, he and Sven quickly followed Elsa.

"Elsa, do you…do you know exactly what you're doing?"

She stopped, then glanced behind her with a frown. "No idea," was the reply. Then she continued upward.

"My god, she's going to kill herself – hey, slow down!" Elsa disappeared from sight, forcing Kristoff to break out into a run. He nearly tripped on the white powder twice as he bolted upward.

"Elsa?"

Kristoff stopped suddenly and stared at the sight before him.

"What the hell…?"

_Let it go, let it go_

_I am one with the wind and sky_

_Let it go, let it go_

_You'll never see me cry_

The queen was moving at a ridiculous speed, effortlessly creating a flawless ice staircase as she went. A small figure moving away from him caught his attention briefly. Was that…a snowman?

Kristoff stood and stared in awe as he slowly moved onto the staircase, testing out the steps with his left foot.

It was immaculate.

He was absolutely lost in his thoughts when he heard a loud crack ahead of him. Looking up, he saw a heap of snow fall off the cliff.

"E-Elsa?!"

He ran up the stairs and nearly crashed into the queen herself, who was biting her lip in concentration as she formed an upward motion with her arms. The mountain man yelped as he felt the ground underneath him slowly rise up into the sky.

Nearly falling over, he steadied himself against the wall as he – wait, _wall?_

Impeccable ice barriers rose up and over him faster than he could've ever imagined. He shot a panicked look at Elsa, who paid no attention to him. She only urged the walls to move up faster, creating huge columns to support what was now a multiple-story building.

_My power flurries through the air into the ground_

_My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around_

_And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast_

_I'm never going back; the past is in the past_

Kristoff couldn't believe his eyes; a beautiful ice chandelier had formed in no time at all, hanging from the high ceiling of what was now a large ice castle.

_So this is why Elsa wanted a place like the North Mountain._

Speaking of Elsa…

"Els – " Kristoff made a strange choking noise which led to a coughing fit. Glancing up, he still denied his vision completely.

The queen's clothes had morphed right before his eyes, instantly becoming a gorgeous icy dress, heels and all included.

Unbelievable.

Kristoff couldn't help but blush madly at the sight. Elsa had made the most amazing transformation in only seconds; it was hard to take in.

_That perfect girl is gone_

_Here I stand in the light of day_

_Let the storm rage on,_

_The cold never bothered me anyway_

Elsa slammed the balcony door, turning back with a smug grin on her face.

She was face to face with a very red ice harvester.

"S-so," he stammered. "You, uh…you built a castle."

Elsa nodded, blushing suddenly. "Y-yes."

"In practically ten seconds," he added.

She nodded again, shrugging sheepishly as a small smile re-appeared onto her face. "I-I honestly never knew what I was capable of," she told him.

"Right, well." Kristoff shivered as he pulled his jacket around him. "It's…it's amazing!" he exclaimed, laughing. "I never thought I'd ever see ice so flawless." He looked Elsa in the eye. "Your powers are a gift; never let anyone make you think otherwise."

She smiled genuinely at him. "Thank you – but I think it's too late for any of that." She gestured out the door behind her. "They…they don't think it's a gift at all, which is why I've been trying to get away from them."

Kristoff frowned. "Well, there's got to be someone to rule Arendelle; you'll need to return –"

"No!" she shouted instantly. Then she winced and sighed. "N-no, I can't return," she repeated, more quietly. "I can't risk hurting anyone else; not after what has already happened."

"But what happens if you stay here? Surely there will be people out looking for you, and I think a large ice castle would attractive attention." Elsa grimaced. "Sorry…"

Kristoff raised a hand and laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, no need to apologize," he assured her. "It looks incredible, really…but, what I'm saying is, I – we don't know their intentions. What if they don't mean well? They – they'll try to kill you, Elsa."

Elsa gasped. "You…you really think so?"

He groaned, frustrated. "I honestly don't know, I'm just…" he sighed. "I'm just really, really worried about you, Elsa. I care about you a lot, and I don't want anything to happen to you," the man blurted out quickly.

_…I just said that._

Coming to realization a second later, he blushed. "I, uh…well, you know what I mean, I just…yeah, I –"

A pair of cold lips pressed against his cheek numbed his thoughts. "I get what you mean," Elsa said softly. "Thank you."

Kristoff's brain refused to work as he stared into the distance like an idiot.

Elsa's smirk and laughing eyes knocked him out of it. "Right, well." Shaking his head quickly, he pushed his current thoughts out of his mind.

"I – I'm staying here," he declared.

Elsa did not want him there – or maybe she did – because she was still slightly afraid of hurting him.

"Elsa, you're not going to hurt me; you haven't hurt me this whole trip – okay, well, that one ball of snow wasn't pleasant – you have to let me stay. And besides," he added, "I refuse to let you be attacked if anyone decides to show up."

Elsa couldn't help but smile slightly at his overprotective nature.

_That's sweet of him; he really doesn't – Elsa, get it together._

She finally nodded, which planted a smile onto Kristoff's face.

Realizing she was still in her new dress, she pointed to it with an apologetic grin on her face. "Sorry; I, uh…I should probably change out of this."

"Right! Well, uh, I'll just be…out this way."

Kristoff attempted to steal one discreet look – she noticed – before moving out of the room.

The queen instantly dropped her smile, cringing at a thought.

_Elsa, he's just an ice harvester; you can't fall for him! You know the rules; he's not a royal, and he's not currently courting with you. _

But something told Elsa it was too late.

**I'm not super pleased with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out because I'm pretty sure I'll be adding fluff next chapter, and I was excited about writing that. I might even make changes to this chapter later on; who knows. Anyway, thanks for reading! :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Fun

**(A/N: Nothing much to say here…just, as always, remember to follow, favorite, and review! It means everything to me.)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 5: Fun

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

The words seeped into Kristoff's ears as he lay against something furry, covering his eyes with his beanie. "Give me…five more minutes."

He could hear the voice chuckle. "Déjà vu," the voice – it was a she – said, causing Kristoff to groan. Sitting up, he whipped off his beanie to find a smirking Elsa staring down at him. He glanced back to find Sven still snoring loudly.

Rubbing his eyes, he stood up slowly. "G'morning, your Maje – Elsa."

The queen laughed. "You're still having trouble with that?"

Kristoff shot her a slight grin. "Shut up."

One thing was for sure; Kristoff was not at all a morning person. His hair was always terribly messy, he often times had dried saliva running out of his mouth, and goddamn – he needed to brush his teeth. Badly. With extra toothpaste for his tongue.

A few minutes later, he and Elsa sat at a table – made of ice, of course – and ate breakfast.

Kristoff had a feeling the food came from ice as well – how was that even possible? But how on Earth would they have an assortment of breads and two sticks of butter before them? Kristoff didn't think grocery shopping would have been the wisest decision for Elsa at the moment.

So if everything was made out of ice…

He frowned suddenly. "Don't tell me you slept on a bed made out of ice."

The queen shrugged as she chewed on a croissant. "It was comfortable," she said simply. Clucking her tongue thoughtfully, she decided to change the subject.

"So, Kristoff…who is your family?"

The man choked unexpectedly, breaking into a coughing fit.

"Ack – sorry – it's uh…" he wiped his mouth awkwardly. "Well, I was an orphan – it was just me and Sven. We didn't stay at a special house, or anything – we actually followed the ice harvesters a lot. Then, one night, something led us to a group of people – uh, kind of – and well, they decided to take us in." He chuckled slightly. "Not your usual orphan sob-story, but it's something."

"What exactly led you to them?"

The man frowned. "It's hard to remember, it's been so long." He shrugged. "Probably wasn't all that important."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hans!" Anna called to the man. The prince turned around. "Anna?"

She sighed. "I just wanted to apologize, for uh…the whole marriage thing..."

"Anna," Hans chuckled. "This is the third time you've apologized to me this trip! I think I get it now."

She nodded, but she still had a worried look on her face. "It's just that…with the wedding and all…"

He shot her a charming smile, which shut her up. "When all of this is over," he told her, taking her hand in his, "we'll find a way to work things out. I promise."

The princess smiled at last. "Okay."

"Princess Anna! Prince Hans!" a handful of the volunteers ran up to them quickly. "We think we know where the queen has headed!"

Prince Hans raised an eyebrow as he un-mounted his horse. "Where's that?"

One man gestured beside him, and a living snowman waddled up to the prince. "Hi, I'm Olaf! And I like warm hugs!"

The prince chuckled. _A talking snowman, huh?_

Next to him, Anna was thinking back to a memory; a memory of the snowman in front of her. She remembered Elsa and herself outside, creating the most lovely snowman she had ever seen.

_"Hi, I'm Olaf! And I like warm hugs."_

_ "I love you, Olaf!"_

"That's right!" she exclaimed. "Olaf!"

Hans looked at her questioningly. "Is there some sort of connection here?"

Anna smiled. "Well, kind of."

The princess knelt down in front of the happy snowman. "Olaf," she started, "Can you show us where Elsa is?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So, what…what are you going to do here?"

Kristoff leaned against an ice pillar as he watched Elsa stare out from her balcony. She hesitated with her answer. "I…I don't know. Honestly." She sighed. "I guess I'll keep living my life, but up here instead."

"You mean you're going to stay isolated from everyone else?"

Elsa nodded immediately. "It's for the best."

Kristoff wanted to argue so badly; a life alone didn't seem like a very happy life at all. But Elsa seemed so set in her ways that even if he did argue, it wouldn't change anything.

Well…she didn't have to spend it _alone. _

Before he could change his mind, he grabbed her hand and started for the door. Elsa gave him a confused look, and he simply grinned. "We're going to have fun right now," he declared. "I don't know what the hell we're going to do, but you need it. So there."

Elsa hesitated. "Kristoff…"

He wasn't going to hear any of it. "Hey," he said, stopping her thought. "Remember what I said? Let's make this fun." He shot her another winning smile, and Elsa couldn't help but feel one spreading on her lips.

The door burst open and out they ran, hand in hand. Kristoff examined what they had around them.

One out-of-place ice castle, and snow. Lots of snow.

Smirking to himself, he gathered up a ball of the white powder and eyed Elsa, who was starting to back away from him.

"My queen," he said dramatically, "tell me; how good are you when it comes down to snowball fights?"

Elsa shook her head. "Kristoff, I don't think – ow!"

The mountain man had flung his snowball at her, hitting her directly in the face. "What was that, Elsa? I didn't hear you!" he teased.

Elsa glared back, a cocky smile growing on her face. "I was just going to warm you that this…this will not be fair."

Effortlessly, she had summoned a huge snow boulder above her head, smirking triumphantly at a now gaping Kristoff. "You had your chance, boy."

Kristoff distanced himself immediately from the snow queen, who was advancing to him at a dangerous speed.

"Oh, shit."

He slid down a hill, narrowly missing the big white ball of death.

Quickly diving behind a hill as another huge snowball was launched at him, he began to formulate a plan.

"Okay, I've got to utilize my surroundings; there are tons of trees here, and a few boulders as well…if I can use it all to move up to her, I'll be able to – "

"How cute."

Kristoff whirled around to see a smug-looking Elsa casually tossing a ball of snow into the air. "You lose."

The man was pelted with snow.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ah, okay, okay – I surrender! I surre – agh, ow, ow, OW!"

Kristoff was attempting to shield his face from Elsa's unfair barrage of powder.

It wasn't going so well.

"Elsa, stop – mph!"

The queen had unforgivingly shot another ball directly onto his face, and had pounced on him shortly after.

Now sitting atop the man, Elsa smirked. "Hm, let's see…what to do with you…"

Her eyes widened suddenly.

"Do you happen to be…_ticklish?"_

Kristoff gulped. "Ahem – uh, no!" he said quickly.

Elsa did not believe him.

"You sound _awfully _unsure about it, Kristoff." She leaned in closer, her face only inches away from his. "I'm going to repeat myself: are you _**ticklish?"**_

__"N-no, no, I am not!"

He was practically pleading at this point. Elsa noticed.

Triumphantly, she readied her hands at his sides. "We'll just have to do a quick test, then!"

She then evilly began to move her fingers up and down his sides, and an unmanly sound emitted from Kristoff – was that a giggle?

"Results are positive," she said, snickering as he continued to twist and turn, yelping at her constant touch. "He is ticklish."

"N-no, no, no, no, Elsa, don't you dare! Don't you – ACK!"

Kristoff attempted to get out of the position he was in, but Elsa had him completely pinned down.

The tickling was not helping, either.

Kristoff was shouting and giggling and screaming as Elsa continued his torture session. Sven, hearing his friend's calls of help, appeared to the scene in no more than a second, glancing around worriedly for Kristoff.

Upon seeing the sight before him, however, the reindeer chortled loudly. Leaning back, he smiled smugly as he watched the scene unfold before him.

The two were both laughing now – Kristoff, still out of intense pain and agony, and Elsa, a little too maliciously for a queen.

After what seemed like forever, the queen ceased tickling the man and smirked down at him as he breathed heavily. "You will never win a snowball fight against me, I guarantee it."

Kristoff huffed, scratching the back of his head tiredly. "I…I got that. Now…" He leaned forward to get up, but Elsa pushed him back down.

"Elsa, are you going to let me up?"

The only answer he got was an absentminded stare.

"…Elsa?"

Still no response.

"Oh, no, if you're planning on tickling me again, then I will – "

Elsa had then unexpectedly leaned forward and kissed the ice harvester without a second thought.

"Mmph!" Kristoff protested, at first; _why was she doing this?_

But as his eyelids slowly fluttered closed, he could almost hear Elsa's voice in his mind: _It should be obvious, you dumbass._

His hand had instinctively become tangled in her hair, and she had pulled his head closer to her own.

The snap of a twig nearby rudely shoved them both out of it. Sven, who had silently come closer, was raising an eyebrow at the two.

Elsa could've sworn the reindeer had a smirk on his face.

And then she realized what she had just done.

Instantly, Elsa felt the blood rise to her cheeks faster than she could blink. Glancing at the man she was sitting on, she saw his face was just as red.

"I, uh…" quickly getting up, she brushed herself off and avoided eye contact with him. "I-I'm sorry, I got carried away."

She was met with a dazed look at first. And then a sheepish grin emerged.

"So…" Kristoff brushed himself off as well. "Does this mean I can say I kissed the queen of Arendelle? Or, rather…" he regarded Elsa with a twinkle in his eye. "The queen of Arendelle kissed me?"

"Shut the hell up." Still, the blush and the small smile on her face told Kristoff the latter was correct.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"K-Kristoff?"

The man jumped, glancing around in the darkness.

The entire ice castle was dark; the only things he could hear were Sven's loud snores and a delicate pair of shoes clinking against the ice.

A torch was lit nearby, and Kristoff instantly recognized the queen, now dressed in a purple nightgown.

"E-Elsa?" He stood up, concerned. "Is…is everything alright?"

She shook her head, and he rushed to her quickly. There were tears in her eyes. "I had…I had a nightmare," she told him. "I'm sorry for waking you, it's just…it scared me."

"Nightmares usually do that." He wrapped an arm around her protectively. "Do you…do you want to talk about it?"

The queen shook her head. "N-no, not really…but please, just stay with me."

Kristoff nodded without a second thought, and they slowly made their way upstairs to Elsa's room.

Elsa did not want to tell the man about her nightmare.

This was mostly because the nightmare had been about him.

_"N-no, please! Don't hurt him!" She pleaded the dark figures. _

_ They were advancing onto her slowly, forcing her to move into a corner. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see him being kicked brutally as he yelled out in pain, clutching his stomach as they continued to beat him. _

_ "Oh, my queen," the figure closest to her mocked. "So helpless to help your friend; he helped you when you needed him, and you failed to be there for him. I am disappointed." He clucked his tongue, shaking his head disdainfully at her. _

_ The man – Kristoff – was lying motionlessly on the floor. There was a tear running down his cheek, and it broke Elsa's heart. _

_ "Elsa," the figure continued. "Look at him; he's hurt because of __**you. **__Some queen you are." Raising a crossbow to her. "Your time is up, witch."_

_ He effortlessly pulled the trigger, and _Elsa woke up, crying and panting.

Now, she was shaking as Kristoff slowly lowered her into the bed. _He's still alive, he's still with you…_

"Elsa," the man commanded. "Take deep breaths. Think happy thoughts. It was just a dream…" He pulled her into a hug and gently rubbed her back soothingly, wiping away any tears in her eyes.

She followed his commands, and soon she was calm again.

"T-thank you," she whispered to Kristoff. He nodded, standing up. "Get some rest, okay?"

"N-no, Kristoff!" she grabbed his hand as he began to walk out. "Stay with me, _please."_

He obliged, and he sat down at the end of Elsa's bed.

She was still unsatisfied, though, and she patted the side of her bed.

Kristoff hesitated, and she huffed. "I kissed you earlier, this should be nothing." Then she blushed.

It was enough to make Kristoff smile, and the two lay side by side on the bed.

A-about that…" Elsa spoke softly. "Thank you. You were right; I needed it. I haven't had real fun in such a long time, and, well, the kiss…"

She stopped, and the man next to her grinned. Propping himself up on his left elbow, he looked at Elsa. "I think we both needed _that," _he said teasingly, and Elsa's face grew redder. "Shut up."

The two lay in a comfortable silence. Elsa instinctively rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her petite form.

He chest moved up and down, up and down…the sound of his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

Then – "Elsa?"

"Hm?" The queen glanced up at the mountain man, who was grinning genuinely at her. "I'd like to kiss you again," he stated simply.

Elsa blushed – again – and her lips drifted into a smile. "As your queen, I give you permission," she replied.

Kristoff wasted no time, leaning in almost immediately. He felt Elsa hum adorably against his lips, and it only encouraged him to kiss her longer.

As she drifted off to sleep, head settled soundly on his chest, he kissed her softly on the cheek. What a day it had been.

**As always, thank you very much for reading. :P I hope my writing doesn't seem too bad; I'm kind of in a slump right now, but I'll do my best to come back. **


	6. Chapter 6: Trouble

**(A/N: Thank you to everyone giving this story attention; a little bit of love is always greatly appreciated. I'd like to thank:**

**life is short so am i**

**TheAmazingArtemis**

**FaerieTales4ever**

**ajunebuga**

**Velvetpru'd**

**rangers123**

**skiddliebop**

**ariaamaliana**

**Thank you to the new reviewers above (hope I didn't forget anyone), and to my returning reviewers - you have my thanks as well :D Hope you guys enjoy chapter 6 of Chilling Out!**

**TheAmazingArtemis: **You'll find out soon. :P**)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 6: Trouble

Mornings. Hooray.

Kristoff rubbed his eyes groggily. Yawning, he shifted his head slightly to look around.

_Ice chandelier, ice walls, ice flooring, ice…bedpost, ice – ice mattress?_

Kristoff, with a confused look on his face, turned slowly to see –

_Oh, god._

There was the queen of Arendelle herself; a rested head on his chest, breathing contently as she subconsciously wrapped an arm around his torso.

If he weren't being pulled back down into the mattress, Kristoff would have died of how adorable Elsa was.

However, he was being pulled down.

"Elsa? Elsa, I need to – ow, okay –"

The queen awoke slowly, glancing up at the ice harvester, who managed a smile.

"Morning, you – I'd love to talk more if I weren't your royal pillow."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "W-what? I don't – oh."

Cheeks flushing, she unwrapped her arm and sat up, realizing her current position.

"So, we, um…we slept together."

"Yep."

"In…in the same bed."

Kristoff shot her a cheeky grin. "Problem?"

Elsa shoved him slightly, a smile growing on her face. "Actually, I'm not supposed to be doing this."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, running away from Arendelle? Yeah, I don't think it's allowed either."

"Shut up, you dumbass." Chuckling, she continued. "I – I should only be romantically affectionate toward other royals…it's in the rules."

Kristoff frowned. "I was never one for rules."

The smirk he received from the queen was what he was hoping for. "Me neither."

Reaching up to instinctively fix her hair, Elsa's eyes widened. "Oh, no…is my hair…?"

"Absolutely tedious."

Panicking, Elsa nearly tripped over herself twice as she rushed to the bathroom, glaring back at the man who was calling, "I was kidding! It's not _that _bad. Well, okay – it's still terrifying, but that's not important!"

The two spent the day exactly as they had the previous day: acting like six year olds as they pelted one another with snowballs.

Elsa won, of course.

She had pounced the ice harvester once again and had tortured his sides until they both ached with laughter – Kristoff ached for other reasons as well.

It was déjà vu to both of them – at least, until Elsa had leaned down to kiss him; there was no hesitation that time.

They had gotten a little feisty with the kiss.

Elsa was soon moaning against Kristoff's lips as he tangled a hand in her hair. His free hand moved down her back until it was resting gently on her hip.

She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, caressing his cheek softly as their lips continued to crash.

Smirking to herself, Elsa abruptly pushed Kristoff down so she was straddling him.

"I'd love to tickle you at this time, but I'd hate to ruin the mood."

"Right?" A voice – that did not belong to Kristoff – responded.

Elsa yelped and leapt off of the man, growing redder by the second.

"Like," the voice continued. "I always hate when people ruin the mood! It's so _awkward, _and it's _rude, _and I just – ugh! I _hate _it!"

It got louder and louder until a clumsy moving snowman appeared from behind a tree.

Elsa sighed, and Kristoff raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "The snowman turns out to be a hypocrite."

Upon hearing Kristoff's remark, the snowman waddled over to him. "And the snowman's name is Olaf, and he likes warm hugs!"

A smile grew on Elsa's lips, remembering as she created the snowman the other night.

"Olaf," she asked, "were you out here by yourself?"

Grinning, he shook his head. "Nope!" he replied, popping the 'p'. Calling back to where he had come from, he yelled, "Guys! You can come out now! I found them!"

Elsa's smile faltered. "Wait…who's with you, e-exactly?"

Still smiling cheerfully, Olaf responded. "There's a nice girl named Anna, and a prince named Hans, and –"

Without a second thought, Elsa snatched Kristoff's hand and bolted back to the castle.

"Whoa – hey, hey, slow down!"

Elsa didn't, not until they were behind the closed doors of the ice castle. Huffing, she leaned against the door and sighed.

"Elsa…what's…what's going on?" Kristoff leaned against the door as well. "Are you…are you okay?"

Elsa shook her head. "They've…they've finally come." Peeking from inside the door, she spotted Prince Hans talking to Anna. The younger girl was motioning Hans, Olaf, and the rest of the men to wait outside, while she pointed back to the castle. Elsa watched Hans give her a hug, and she winced at the sight.

Turning back to Kristoff, she told him, "You…you have to go and hide, somewhere. Please." But Kristoff shook his head. "If they've arrived to hurt you, then I'm staying right here."

Elsa managed to smile at the mountain man. "Anna's not going to hurt me; she'd never hurt me. Just…" she stood on her toes and kissed him gently. "Do this for me, okay? Please."

Kristoff frowned. "That's not fair," he pouted, and Elsa smacked him lightly, smiling. "But okay, I'll do it…for you." He kissed her again before running with Sven into a secluded room.

Elsa sighed, pacing. _What am I going to do? She's outside, __**they're **__outside, and one wrong move could possibly – _

The door was pounded on three times, and it began to slowly open up.

"Conceal, Elsa…don't feel…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"I know, Sven; I'm worried for her too."

He could still hardly think – after all, the idea of him with the queen of Arendelle herself was enough to take in alone – and already they've got visitors – visitors Elsa seems to be pretty scared of.

Kristoff tried to distract himself with some of Elsa's designs on the icy walls, but even the intricate patterns of icicles and snowflakes couldn't divert him from his current thoughts.

_Bulda did say I was "quite a charmer", but did I really have enough charm to catch the queen's attention?_

Well apparently, he did. And vice versa, too. Kristoff was beginning to worry he had fallen in love with Elsa.

_But she's so beautiful, and funny, and adorable, and –_

Kristoff could picture Elsa smirking at his thoughts, shaking her head as she laughed.

You see? He was still thinking about her.

_Elsa, what have you done to me?_

A loud yell bounced off the walls, stopping only to rudely shove Kristoff's thoughts out of his head.

Slowly creeping the door open, he scanned the large room.

A snowman – Olaf, it was – stood at the steps, watching Princess Anna chase after her sister, who climbing the stairs.

'_Cause for the first time in forever,_

_I finally understand_

_For the first time in forever,_

_We can fix this hand in hand_

Kristoff ran to the snowman, who continued to stare. "Olaf," he began. "What's going on?"

The living snowman turned to him, and for once he wasn't smiling. "I think Anna and Elsa are arguing about something."

Kristoff bit his bottom lip. "Want to come with me? I'm going to follow them."

Olaf smiled almost instantly. "Okay!" he exclaimed.

Kristoff slowly followed the princess, keeping out of earshot. He spotted Elsa as she moved all the way to the top floor, Anna close behind.

_Please go back home,_

_Your life awaits_

_Go enjoy the sun,_

_And open up the gates_

_You mean well,_

_But leave me be_

_Yes, I'm alone but I'm alone and free_

_Just stay away and you'll be safe from me_

Elsa paced the floor, trying to convince Anna to leave. Kristoff, now standing behind the door, watched through the small crack.

"Actually – we're not."

Elsa turned back, confused. "What do you mean we're not?"

Anna sighed. "I get the feeling you don't know."

Frustrated, the queen turned back. "What do I not know?"

Anna held her hands together and winced. "Arendelle's in…deep, deep, deep snow…"

Elsa's eyes widened. "What?"

"You kind of set off an eternal winter," Anna continued, "everywhere."

"E-everywhere?"

The younger sister's smile re-appeared. "Well, it's okay, you can just unfreeze it!"

But Elsa shook her head. "N-no I can't, I…I don't know how!"

"Sure, you can – I _know you can!"_

'_Cause for the first time in forever_

_(Oh, I'm such a fool, I can't be free)_

_You don't have to be afraid_

_(No escape from the storm inside of me)_

_We can work this out together_

_(I can't control the curse)_

_We'll reverse the storm you've made_

_(Anna, please, you'll only make it worse)_

The man watched intently as the two fought, ready to step in if needed. A small storm was beginning to stir up around Elsa as she continued to move away from Anna. The princess was desperately trying to convince her older sister to return, but Elsa was not having it.

_We can face this thing together_

_We can change this winter weather_

_And everything will be…_

_(I can't!)_

The storm was sucked into Elsa's chest for a brief moment, before turning to icy bolts and violently erupting all over the room.

The bolts went everywhere; into the walls, into the floor, into…Anna's heart.

Elsa, glancing around, gasped as she saw Anna struggling to pick herself off of the ground.

Kristoff bolted through the door, followed closely by Olaf.

"Okay, okay – what is going on here?!" He turned to the princess. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm…I'm alright." Standing up, she shot a glare at her sister. "I'm fine." Then she stared at him. "W-who are you?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now." Turning to Elsa, he sent her a questioning look.

"Anna – you _have _to go – "

"No, Elsa," she argued, "I am _not _leaving without you."

"Yes…yes, you are."

Shooting her arms forward, a large snowy cloud appeared from her hands.

The figure morphed, growing larger and larger until it became a giant, abominable snow guardian.

Effortlessly picking up Anna and Olaf, it began to make its way outside.

"Hey, put me down – Elsa!"

The princess cried out one last time before the creature disappeared from sight.

"E-Elsa?"

The queen gasped, wrapping her arms around her body. "What…what have I done?"

"Hey, hey, Elsa! Calm down," Kristoff spoke slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. This time, however, she shrugged it off.

"Please, please – stay away from me!"

"…Elsa?"

"I just…I don't want to hurt you, like I hurt her! For the love of God, just…d-don't come near me right now." The queen was shaking, hiding her hands from sight. "P-please, Kristoff…for me."

He sighed. Not being able to help her killed him. But she wanted it.

"…Alright. For you," he said at last. Stepping out slowly, he began to close the door.

Through the cracks, the last thing he saw was the face of a terrified, crying queen.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Elsa's large snow monster – Marshmallow, Olaf called it – had successfully scared off the men, chasing them all the way down the mountain, where they had begun.

Grunting, Hans brushed snow off of himself as he watched the others do the same.

"Anna," he asked her, "what on Earth happened back there?"

The princess sighed. "I tried to convince her that it would all work out, but…but she wasn't listening. She…" Anna held a hand over her chest. "She struck me with her powers."

Hans gasped. "You…you said she'd never hurt you!"

"Well…I was wrong."

The prince bit his bottom lip, thinking. He then called a handful of volunteers. "Take Princess Anna back to Arendelle, immediately," he ordered. Anna, upon hearing this, began to protest.

"Anna – I know how much you want to help, but you _have _to go back." The prince grimaced. "The cold weather is only going to make it worse. I…I can't even begin to think about you getting hurt any more than you already are."

"B-But Hans, I – "

"Anna," he pleaded. "_Please." _

Eventually, she gave in. "…Okay," she said at last. "Just…just promise you'll talk to her about it? About everything?"

He nodded. "I promise."

**Thanks for reading, everyone; tell me what you think. Happy New Year! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Visitors, Again

**(A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! :D I hope you're all as excited as me for 2014. I hope it'll be full of more amazing people, more memories, and more Frozen fanfiction. Of course.**

**Welcome to the hall of fame, Eclipsestorm4! Thanks for reviewing. And thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers as well. You guys are great.**

**Inspiration: That one scene in Frozen where Marshmallow throws Anna and Kristoff down the long, icy staircase. You'll see why soon. :P)**

**Disclaimer: **No, I still don't own Frozen OR anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 7: Visitors, Again

Kristoff had never been more worried about anything before in his life, even if it did not have anything to do with him.

Okay, well maybe it did. A bit.

Closing the doors on her the other day had been her request, but it still felt like it was his fault entirely.

He kept thinking that it was what she wanted, but at the end of the day, he couldn't convince even himself.

So after a few hours of tossing and turning against Sven, he had the urge to go see her.

Finding his way up the steps, he quickly hurried up the long staircase and into Elsa's room.

She was asleep, humming softly as she placed one palm against the other. There was a small smile on her face, reassuring Kristoff that everything was all right. He bent down, kissed her on the forehead, and began to head back out.

However, as he turned the doorknob… "Kristoff?"

The man whirled around to see Elsa looking at him sleepily. Turning on his heel, he walked back.

"Hey, you," he said softly, sitting her bedside. She sat up, giving him a smile. "How…how are you?"

"I should be asking you that," he said with a chuckle. Then he tilted his head slightly. "But I'm good…better than I was a few seconds ago, now that you're here."

Elsa blushed, smacking him lightly. "You're sweet."

Kristoff grinned, turning slightly red himself. "So, uh, about yesterday…"

Elsa's smile faltered. "Um, yeah…look, about that, I'm sorry for telling you to go away – it's just that, after hurting Anna…I didn't want to hurt you, too." She sighed. "After you left, I…I got my powers under control. I think everything should be okay now."

Kristoff frowned. "You don't need to apologize," he replied, "I understand." He took her hand in his. "I'm honestly just glad that you're okay."

Elsa smirked up at him. "You know…if I ever told anyone I was falling for a particular ice harvester, they'd be shocked beyond belief."

Kristoff laughed. "You ought to try it out, sometime. Tell somebody, I mean." Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head. "I honestly still can't believe it myself; if someone told me I would end up with the queen of Arendelle, I'd die of happiness and shock."

The queen let out a rare giggle. "Well, Kristoff," she responded, caressing his cheek with a smile, "don't go dying of shock when I tell you you're with the queen of Arendelle." With a wink, she added, "And she's all yours."

Elsa's comment alone was enough to provoke Kristoff into fervently kissing her.

So he did.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Kristoff, I don't think this is a very good – hey!"

The man, with a wicked grin on his face, pulled Elsa onto his lap and held her in a tight embrace as they slid down the long staircase outside the ice palace.

"No, no – Kristoff, don't you da – AHHH!"

Elsa screamed the whole way down.

Minutes prior, Elsa was in a bitter mood; although she continued to try and try, she could not eliminate the feeling that she had mortally wounded Anna.

Kristoff had taken the time to calm her down, over and over, but this time, it did not work.

Figuring his typical hands-on-shoulders technique was getting old, he had decided to throw on a smile, and, much to Elsa's dismay, had grabbed her hand and jumped out into the cold morning weather, skimming down the staircase at a dangerously high speed.

So, here they were. Kristoff was laughing heartily, and Elsa was, more or less, screaming her ass off.

"Ack – Kristoff!" The queen huffed as she cleaned herself up. "You better have had a good reason for – put me _down!"_

Ignoring her pleas, the ice harvester had picked her up in one swift motion, carrying her back up the staircase.

"Aw, come on, Elsa. It was fun and you know it," he said cheekily, and the queen sighed. "Fine. Maybe just a little. But we are _not _doing that again."

Upon reaching the top of the stairway, Kristoff spoke. "Sorry, I just thought you needed that." Grinning, he added, "I can help get you cleaned up, if you wish."

Elsa face-palmed. _"Thank you,_ good sir. You are ever so kind."

"But…" A smirk graced his features. "I'm a little busy right now, and so is the queen of Arendelle."

"Wait, what? Kristoff, wha – AHHH!"

The man hooted as the two slid down the staircase.

Again.

Still ignoring Elsa's consistent orders and threats, he repeated the activity.

Six times.

Eventually, he had gotten countless laughs and giggles out of Elsa, which satisfied him to no end. His goal was to cheer her up, and he succeeded.

As they entered the castle, he put her down at last. Smiling up at him, Elsa stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "I don't know how you do it," she said, pulling away. "You always know how to cheer me up."

He smirked. "You make my job a lot easier."

"I'm glad."

The two stared dreamily at one another, not caring about what anyone else (Sven, in this case) had to say. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The moment was perfect.

"Elsa," Kristoff began slowly. "I think…I think I – "

A large roar shook the building, interrupted the man's comment, and the two released each other almost immediately.

"What on Earth…"

Kristoff glanced outside to see the snow guardian awakening, standing to its full height.

It was facing Prince Hans and his men.

Elsa gasped. "They've…they've come back?" Very quickly, she began retreat back into the castle.

"Elsa – Elsa!" Kristoff held her firmly, but still in a gentle manner. "Calm down, calm down." He stole another glance at the event outside.

Hans had drawn his sword and was attempting to somehow get past the snow giant.

"Elsa," Kristoff told the queen. "I need you to get to safety; please." He looked upwards and made a quick decision. "Go to the top floor; now."

"Kristoff?!" The queen looked at him worriedly. "What about you?"

He shot her a smile. "I'll be fine, just – just get to the top floor, now." He kissed her quickly. "Don't worry, I'm going to protect you no matter what it takes."

Despite everything, she smiled and hugged him tightly. Then, grabbing her heels from the floor, she was gone.

The mountain man turned back and peeked outside once more.

Two men with crossbows had made it past the snow monster, and they were climbing the steps at a rapid speed. Then it dawned on Kristoff…

He didn't have a weapon.

"Ah, shit…"

As the doors burst open, Kristoff retreated to the small room he had hid in before. _If I can ambush those two without them noticing…_

**Kind of a short chapter, but I wanted to post it because I'll be gone for a couple of days. When I return, however, I will start writing immediately. :) As always, be sure to favorite, follow, and review! Thank you all. **


	8. Chapter 8: Sacrifices

**(A/N: I'm going to warn you now – the f bomb gets dropped a couple times here. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 8: Sacrifices

_Okay, Elsa, calm down. A giant snow guardian is fighting a group of armed men just outside the castle. No big deal!_

Glancing around, Elsa bit her bottom lip. "There's no way out," she muttered. "I just hope they end up coming up here – "

The door to the top level burst open, revealing two men with crossbows. They looked around before locking onto her hungrily.

"There she is!"

Without hesitation, one man fired directly at Elsa, and she raised her arm in panic. A long chunk of ice flew up from the floor to block the projectile immediately. The arrow missed her head by only a few inches.

"Go around!" One of the men barked to the other, and they began to move closer to her.

_Nowhere to run…I'm going to have to fight._

Flicking her hand forward, Elsa sprayed multiple bolts of ice at her enemies, causing one to roll away as the other backed up hesitantly. The snow queen continued to flip her hand in different directions, sending ice flying in all directions.

The younger attacker had his sights aimed down on Elsa and was ready to pull the trigger when Elsa responded, lifting up off the ground as dozens of icicles pinned him against the wall, the last one pointed directly at his throat.

Unfortunately for Elsa, she had completely forgotten about the other man, who had lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. Shooting ice wildly, she attempted to get the man off of her, put instead she felt a cold fist slam against her cheek.

Elsa gasped, feeling her cheek swell up instantly. She glared up at the man, who held a long-sword to her neck, smirking.

"I'm not impressed, snow queen," he spat. "For such a magical, gifted girl, you aren't very powerful."

Elsa fought hard to get back up, but was met with a hard backhand, nearly making her go limp. "Stupid bitch."

Elsa was completely powerless to the man as he raised the sword higher, ready to end her. She was hopeless; she had lost.

But at that moment, she heard the most beautiful thing in the world.

A snarl erupted from the opposite side of the room, catching the man's glance for a brief second.

A brief second was not enough time to react.

"DON'T YOU _**FUCKING **__TOUCH HER!"_

Kristoff, having forgotten a tactical plan entirely, came bounding into the room, sprinting angrily at the man – Elsa gasped as she felt the weight lifted off of her. Head still throbbing, she sat up slowly to see Kristoff tower over her attacker. The mountain man's face was not kind or caring like she was used to seeing it; instead, it was controlled by pure hatred and rage. Elsa was actually a little scared of Kristoff himself.

And she gasped as she watched him stab the intruder through the heart.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hans glared down at the pit where the beast had fallen. Rushing inside, he turned to his men.

"I don't know where the men of Weselton have gone, but…I want you all to stay down here to avoid any chaos." All of the volunteers agreed immediately, already fearing the possible dangers of the queen.

As the rest of the men stayed down on the first floor, Hans made his way up the staircase to seek out the missing queen.

Up on the top floor, Kristoff ran over to Elsa, completely unaware of the murder he had just committed. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" he blurted, checking her body for any signs of pain. Seeing a bruise and several cuts, he growled angrily and turned to glare at the remaining man.

Just then the door burst open, and Hans came through, eyeing the room. Kristoff, upon seeing the arrival of the prince, immediately retreated back to Elsa and stood in front of her as a bodyguard.

Hans looked around slowly, scanning the room around him. "What is happening in here?!"

Kristoff shot him an angry glower. "You put the queen in danger," he spoke through clenched teeth. "These men tried to _kill _her!"

"K-Kristoff," Elsa said softly, "It's…it's okay…we can trust him."

The man turned back and grimaced. "Are you sure?"

Elsa nodded. "I'm sure."

Kristoff sighed before stepping back to let the two royals talk.

"Queen Elsa." Hans bowed, and Elsa responded with an unstable curtsy. "Prince Hans."

"As you know, we decided to go after you – we just had to, because without you, Arendelle is –"

"You shouldn't have come," the queen interrupted. "Arendelle…needs to be protected from _me." _Exhaling, she shook her head. "I can't go back."

"But, your Majesty – "

Kristoff watched the scene with a frown. Didn't Hans see? Elsa couldn't go back – she couldn't risk hurting more people, and running away did not change their current opinions about her.

But what if Hans was right?

Surely the people could be persuaded – surely they could believe it was all just one big misunderstanding. Surely they could love their queen the way she deserved to be loved.

_Something has got to happen, and it better not involve Elsa getting hurt – _

Kristoff noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see the suspended crossbowman raising his weapon.

Towards Elsa.

"Elsa!" he blurted out, running for her. The queen glanced up, surprised.

"Get away!"

Kristoff dived straight for Elsa, shoving her out of the way of the incoming arrow.

It did not reach its target – instead, it pierced Kristoff in the stomach.

A blinding pain found its way to Kristoff, and he gasped, dropping down to his knees.

"K-Kristoff…?" The queen turned around to see the ice harvester, breathlessly using one hand to prevent crashing down to the floor.

"_Kristoff!" _

She slid to the man, holding him up.

"Kristoff! _Kristoff!"_ she shook him in panic. "S-stay with me! _Please!"_ Elsa begged him, helplessly feeling a tear roll down her cheek.

Despite everything, he managed to smile weakly. "Hey, Elsa," he said softly, cupping her cheek. "Make sure…they don't hurt you…"

And then he slumped to the ground.

The queen sat in shock, hands shaking as she attempted to lift him back up.

"K-Kristoff?"

No response.

"Kristoff!"

Silence – and then there was the sound of another arrow being loaded.

"You bastard…" Elsa stood up, rage taking over. "You _**fucking **_bastard!"

She wasn't thinking about what she was doing as she shot the bolt of ice straight to the henchman's heart – the sound of skin slicing did not bother her. She was too worried about Kristoff.

_He can't be gone. He __**cannot **__be gone!_

She turned back to the prince, who was unmoving.

"Prince Hans – please!" she said frantically. "Please…you have to help me save him!"

But the prince shook his head.

"No."

Elsa stopped and stared. "W-what?"

The prince chuckled. "Really, Elsa – I'm sure you know exactly what that means."

He pulled out his sword and headed straight for ice harvester. "He protected you – oh, yes, he did." The prince played with his fingernails thoughtfully. "Too bad his efforts were utterly useless."

Hans brought his foot back and delivered a sharp kick to Kristoff's chest, and Elsa gasped as she heard a sickening crunch.

"N-no…"

He turned back, smiling. "See? You _do _know what it means."

With that, the evil prince brought the butt of his sword forward, and Elsa was knocked out.

**A/N: No major character deaths. **


	9. Chapter 9: Love is An Ice-Blasted Wall

**A/N; After this chapter, I will do my best to make the upcoming chapters longer. This story is going to be coming to a close soon, and I just wanted to thank you to each and every one of you for reading, reviewing, and adding this to your favorites. I absolutely love Kristelsa, and this will not be the last Kristelsa story I write. **

**Thanks to my new reviewers: tiger-tigerr, Bellatrix Thenardier, Guest, paystin4life, princesspay10, and T. Alana M. If I forgot anyone, please let me know!**

**Thanks to all my returning reviewers as well, you guys are wonderful. **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 9: Love is An Ice-Blasted Wall

The air was damp and it smelled of old moss – this was the first thing Elsa noticed as she woke slowly.

She was lying on a hard mattress, and it wasn't made of ice. As her vision began to focus, she glanced around tiredly.

Elsa was surrounded by stone – the walls were made of it, for crying out loud – which was very unfamiliar to her. If it wasn't ice, it wasn't safe.

A firm blanket covered her body, keeping her warm even though it was unnecessary.

Her hands were covered in enclosed shackles, chained to the ground. _So, there's no way out._

Finding the outside light, Elsa turned – and gasped. A strong wind was blowing snow everywhere. The roofs were covered in the white powder, and the boats were trapped on the ice.

She had forgotten – she was the one who caused this.

A strange sound caught her attention, and she looked towards its direction with caution.

Separated by thick, iron bars sat Kristoff, choking on a cough as he leaned back against the wall, holding his chest and breathing slowly.

"Kristoff!"

The queen ran towards the ice harvester and, fighting the chains that linked her hands to the ground, she managed to bring one hand up to the bars longingly.

"K-Kristoff," she murmured, a tear running down her cheek. "I thought…I thought they killed you…"

He shrugged, before wincing. "Well, I'm glad to say I'm still alive."

Elsa couldn't help it anymore. She burst into tears.

"Elsa…" Kristoff slammed on the bars. "These bars are killing me. All I want to do right now is hold you…"

She nodded, sobbing softly. "Me…me too."

"So…" Kristoff sighed. "What happened after I went out?"

Elsa grimaced. "Prince Hans…is a traitor," she spoke slowly. "I don't know what he wants, but as of now we're stuck in a cellar and he's doing who knows what in the kingdom."

Elsa leaned against the wall and hung her head. "I'm…I'm sorry, Kristoff. This is all my fault."

"What? Elsa, no – "

"Yes, it is," she said firmly. "If it weren't for my stupid actions, we wouldn't be here right now. I should've been able to conceal – I've done it all my life, for crying out loud! I can't – "

"Elsa!" His voice was strong, and it shut her up. Through the shackles and bars, he managed to place a warm hand to Elsa's cheek. "If this had not happened, think about it. Would I have ever met you? Only the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon?"

Despite everything, she blushed and felt a small smile appear on her lips. "W-well – "

"The answer is no," he told her, smiling back. "I never would've fallen…in love with the queen of Arendelle."

Elsa gasped. "W-what was that?"

The ice harvester shifted, sending her a small grin. "I'm in love with you."

There was no hesitation in his voice; he said it like he absolutely meant it, and it took everything to keep Elsa from destroying the bars to jump on him.

"I – " she faltered. _Was it true? Did she really love him back?_

It didn't take too much thinking, however. She remembered the days when he took her out to have fun, and that he knew it would calm her down because he _cared _about her –

"I love you, too," she responded, nodding.

Kristoff didn't seem surprised by the answer, but he was nonetheless overjoyed.

Elsa groaned. "I want to kiss you so badly right now," she murmured. "Damn these bars."

Kristoff chuckled as she continued. "I wonder what Anna will say when she learns I've fallen in – Anna!"

The queen grimaced, remembering when she shot Anna with her ice. "I…I hope she's okay. I mean…I _struck _her with my powers, and I was completely unaware of it. You cannot argue with me here, this is absolutely my fault – I could've controlled it, but no, I just couldn't, and now she's in danger because of –"

Elsa, unaware of her rising voice and Kristoff's loud attempts to shut her up, snapped the shackles as ice shot out of her fingertips. Yelping, she stood back and watched as a layer of frost slowly traveled up the walls and to the ceiling.

Glancing back at Kristoff, she stammered. "I, uh…that was completely unintentional." Walking around freely now, she scanned the room.

"I can try to break us out – hold on. Give me your hand!"

Kristoff reached through the jail bars and stuck his arm through, awaiting Elsa's actions. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

He smiled, and Elsa began to put pressure onto the cuffs, watching them grow colder and colder until –

_Snap._

Kristoff wrung his arms and grinned. "You're amazing, Elsa." Then he winced, holding his chest.

The arrow had pierced his stomach, causing a slight pain whenever he moved. Their captor had bandaged him up – they wanted him alive, apparently – before throwing him in here. His ribs also ached from time to time, and he didn't know why.

He stood up, slowly, and glanced at Elsa, who was now focusing all of her power into the jail bars that separated the two.

"Elsa, do you really believe you can – "

A loud clang echoed off the walls as two of the bars snapped in half, giving him room to walk through.

"Yes," she replied, and as he made it to her side, she leaned up and kissed him gently. "That's what I was looking for," she breathed.

"Prince Hans!" the Spanish dignitary called. "There was a sound – a loud one, at that – and it came directly from the cellars."

He raised an eyebrow. "The cellars…?" Then his eyes narrowed. "Queen Elsa."

Signaling a handful of guards with him, he started towards the prison.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ah!" Kristoff cried out, clutching his stomach, and Elsa winced helplessly. "Sorry…"

The queen had blasted a hole through the prison wall, and she raised Kristoff's arm over her shoulder. She glanced behind her to see the light of a torch get nearer. "Be careful – she's dangerous!"

Glaring, she began to walk, slowly so that Kristoff would not be hurt, but fast enough to escape.

As they lost their trackers in the snowstorm, Elsa clutched Kristoff tightly. "Are you warm enough?" she yelled, and he shook his head but managed to smile. "Don't worry about me!" was his response.

This time, Elsa scoffed and kissed him – hard. "Don't you _dare_ say that again," she ordered, pulling away from the shocked Kristoff. "I will always, _always, _worry about you."

And then she blushed. "Um, that was not meant in a bad way," she added as they continued to trek across the frozen fjords.

Kristoff, despite everything, grinned. "Of course, your Majesty."

The smile was off his face in a second, though, and he frowned, looking around wildly. "Where are we going?"

Elsa shook her head. "I – I really don't know. Just…away from here."

The sound of a sword being drawn startled them both, and they turned around the see Prince Hans and four other guards staring straight at them.

Elsa gasped, backing up immediately. Kristoff narrowed his eyes, still clutching his chest – unfortunately, his glare was the only weapon he had.

The queen raised her hand as a warning – she was more than willing to freeze them all within an inch of their lives if she had to.

Hans smirked. "I do apologize, my queen – but I'm afraid we'll have to take it from here."


	10. Chapter 10: A Promise

**(A/N: Things aren't going too well for Hans right now; people are not where he wishes them to be. I tried to make it seem desperate at this point – I just thought I'd let you all know because I have a feeling I didn't do a very good job of it :/**

**Thanks to AwesomeIsAwesome, MrTarczynski, pABL0000(Isabel), and codyenokida for reviewing. Thanks to my old reviewers, and to those who are continuing to read.**

**By the way, did I say there were no major character deaths?**

**I was lying.)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen or anything affiliated with it. D:

Chapter 10: A Promise

"Hans," the ice harvester snarled, "put that sword away."

The prince shook his head tauntingly. "Good sir, I'm afraid I just cannot do that!"

One of the guards hesitated. "We don't know what their – his purpose is!"

"Oh," Hans spoke, clutching his heart, "but I do." He turned back to Kristoff, who had his arm around Elsa protectively.

"This man has magic like Elsa's, but worse – more _dangerous,_ more _daunting._" He glanced at the men. "He has _brainwashed _your queen!"

Kristoff glared, hearing the collective gasp around them. Next to him, Elsa shook her head immediately.

"Kristoff did not _brainwash _anyone!"

"Kristoff?" one man tilted his head. "Aren't you…the ice deliverer?"

"Or so we thought," Hans said, shaking his head. "Of course they'd deny it – they'd deny anything to save their own souls!" He yelled. "Or, just his soul…because he's behind this." Raising his sword, he moved forward at a dangerous speed.

Kristoff backed up slowly, keeping an arm in front of Elsa.

"K-Kristoff, just run! He's going to kill you!"

But the man shook his head. "As long as he doesn't hurt you."

In the few seconds she had, Elsa found his gesture very sweet. It was because he cared about her. It was because he _loved _her.

She also found it incredibly irritating.

She loved him enough to not want to see him get stabbed to death right in front of her – didn't he get that?

Apparently not.

Hans swung his sword, missing Kristoff by just a couple inches. He yelped, and Elsa screamed, firing a bolt at the prince. He blocked it with his sword swiftly.

Hans looked back at his men. "I need you to – what?"

The men were not following him; they were scared, not of the duo, but of the prince.

"Kristoff would never," one man stated, barely audible through the blizzard. He threw down his spear. "I know Kristoff; he wouldn't do something like this."

Hans twitched – it wasn't obvious, but Elsa noticed – and roared. "You fools!" he seethed.

Kristoff looked to Elsa worriedly. "Is this blizzard because of you?" She shook her head. "It must be, but…but I don't even know."

He grimaced. "I…I know how hard it is, but you have to try and cease it. Please," he begged. "I…I have a plan, but it can't work in this weather."

Elsa bit her lip. Could she do it? Would it be too difficult?

But Kristoff needed it.

That alone was enough to convince her to at least give it a shot.

"I can try."

Hans had returned his attention to the two, gripping his sword tightly.

Kristoff noticed that in his glare and the snarl on his lips, Hans had had enough bullshit. He was going to kill both of them.

Before Kristoff could even begin to prepare his plan to catch Hans off guard, however, a figure emerged from out of the whiteout.

Sven came charging into view, with a white-haired Anna on his back.

Kristoff's best friend howled loudly, stampeding straight toward the prince.

The three made contact, a loud crunch was heard, and Hans went flying.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled, and the queen snapped out of her concentration.

"Anna?" She looked around wildly, suddenly in panic. "Anna!"

Sven halted to a stop, giving them a perfect view of the princess.

She was shivering, and her hair was white.

"Oh, Anna – " Elsa ran over to her sister, clutching her tightly. "You're so…so cold…"

Anna only shuddered more. "E-Elsie, you aren't helping r-right now –"

"Ah." The queen, after hesitating, removed her hands from Anna's skin.

She clasped her hands together, staring worriedly at Anna as she watched the ice, very slowly, travel to her face.

"I…I'm glad I could stop Hans," the princess managed, glancing over at the unconscious prince. "I…I love you – it was worth it."

The ice crawled onto Anna's cheeks, she gasped – Elsa rushed forward, wanting badly to grab her sister and tell her it was all right.

But it wasn't.

The ice harvester pulled her back as she continued to effortlessly reach for Anna.

"Anna…Anna, no!"

The princess became very still, unmoving in the cold blizzard. She was nothing more than an ice statue now; the creation of a monster.

A monster…

"N-no," Elsa clutched her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "No!"

She stumbled, once, twice, and fell onto the hard ice. The winds of the blizzard rolled upwards and disappeared into the air.

_Silence._

Kristoff stood and stared, his lip trembling. Anna was still, her eyes still radiating panic and shock from when she watched the ice take her over.

Elsa cried on the ground – it was all because of her. She did this. She hated herself more than anything.

It hurt Kristoff to be there and watch it all; Princess Anna was gone, and Elsa felt as though it was all her fault.

They were all they had left: each other.

Kristoff's hands clenched, and he turned to the one who truly caused it all.

Breaking the eerie silence, he stomped over to Hans, who was beginning to return to consciousness.

"W-wha – "

A snap rang through the air, followed by an agonizing scream.

"This is because of you," Kristoff growled, forcing the prince's arm behind his back unnaturally. "You _did _this!"

Behind the ice harvester, the sound of ice crackling softly emitted, and Elsa's sobs grew less.

But Kristoff's was so consumed by rage, so consumed by hate and anger, that it did not matter.

"You _hurt _Anna," he snarled, staring mercilessly into Hans's eyes, which were now showing emotions of worry and panic.

"You _hurt _this family," he continued, pushing the arm further into his back.

"You _hurt _my queen – you will never get away with it again."

The second snap was heard, and closely trailed by the crunch of a full ribcage.

"K-Kristoff?" Elsa panted, rushing to him. "S-stop, please! Anna…Anna's…she's coming back!"

The ice harvester hesitated, glancing back.

The color to Anna's clothes was appearing, slowly but surely. Kristoff shook his head. _How…?_

He turned back to the prince, who was breathing heavily. "P-please…" he begged. "I p-promise, I won't touch them a-again."

Kristoff sighed, making a decision.

He let Hans loose, and the prince backed away slowly, rolling his shoulders as he coughed uncontrollably.

He didn't have too much time, however – Kristoff grabbed him again and held him tightly.

"I," he growled, "will hold you to that promise."

The troubled prince didn't get to respond, for Kristoff had snapped his neck.

"Kristoff!" Elsa screamed. "W-what have you done?!"

He shrugged her off, shooting a glance back at the princess.

The last of the frost was melting off of her forehead – her eyes looked drowsy and she was shivering once more, but she was alive.

"H-how…?"

"Kristoff, you j-just…killed a man, and – oh my god, Anna…!"

The princess was bombarded by a rather large hug, especially for Elsa's standards.

The queen hugged and kissed her sister, sobbing loudly into her dress. "I thought I'd lost you…"

**I've got a sore throat, so I need to take care of that…but I'll try to finish this story and not do a too shitty job of it before school resumes on Monday. Thanks for sticking with me, guys. :D It means everything. I'm not really feeling as though I'm in my "zone" right now, and hell – you guys are still reading. :P**

**Kristelsa fluff will come!**


	11. Chapter 11: Resolution

**A/N: It's been fun; waking up to see countless email notifications telling me of a new follower, or yet another favorite, or even a review has been a blast. I appreciate all of your feedback – it means everything to me. Stories like this, I never considered myself to be good at, so it is possible you may not see another long multi-chapter story from me again. Maybe. I'll continue to post one-shots of all pairings, however.**

**So I guess this chapter didn't have as much fluff as I would like (hardly at all, actually) which is why I mentioned I will be sticking to one-shots. I find it easier to make something romantic cute in just a thousand or two word story. But Chilling Out has still been fun, no doubt. **

**Lord Destroyer (Guest): I did my best to make things work out for Kristoff in this chapter, despite him killing Hans. Sure, it was a risky thing to do, but I guess it's what I decided to go with :P**

**AlicornSalad11: I'm going to be completely honest with you when I say I have no clue. Haha, I guess it seemed like an interesting way to go with the story.**

**Maybe after time goes by, I'll come back to this story. Hopefully I'll be a better writer than I am right now, and I'll be good enough to be able to possibly make this story better.**

**Disclaimer: **For the last goddamn time, I do not own Frozen or anything affiliated with it.

Chapter 11: Resolution

It was a mess, everything was.

Elsa had a realization that the answer to the weather problem was love, and it had been love since the beginning.

As she worked her magic, the snow and ice was sucked out of Arendelle, bringing back the July weather once more.

The citizens trusted her at last, and she was looked up to as the queen of Arendelle.

As for the 13th prince of the southern isles…

The dignitaries, despite the restoration, were unhappy with the way Kristoff had killed him. The ice harvester had protested, over and over, that it was out of anger and he could not control himself, but they would hear none of it.

That is, until Elsa stepped in.

_"A commoner should, under __**no **__circumstances, be attacking, or, for God's sake, __**killing **__a royal at any cost – "_

_ "I mean, we do agree there should have been a punishment for Prince Hans," the Spanish dignitary interrupted. "But death was not an option."_

Elsa did not want anything to happen to the harvester; after all, she loved him, didn't she?

The queen had made up a story on the spot:

"_Kristoff," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "is…Arendelle's Official Ice Master and Deliverer." The man raised an eyebrow, and Elsa sneaked in a wink._

_ "He isn't just any commoner; his…business has him delivering ice to the castle quite often."_

_ "Queen Elsa," another royal began, "you __**do **__have the powers to create anything out of ice – surely he wouldn't be needed – "_

_ "No one knew about my powers," Elsa interrupted. "I wasn't planning on revealing them to anyone either, so…" She raised an eyebrow. "After all, he…he helped me and protected me from any sort of danger – sort of like an escort."_

_ The luminaries, after a brief moment, sighed. "We will send a message containing these details to the Southern Isles," one spoke up. "If they have any problems, they do have the right to contact you immediately."_

And that was that.

"Elsa," Kristoff said, walking by the queen's side. "T-that was dangerous! You lied to keep me safe – "

" – and it was worth it," she finished for him. Cupping his cheek, she stood up on her toes and kissed him softly. "I couldn't stand losing you…not after what happened."

The ice harvester was given a room to stay in within the castle walls, although he often was out and about, chopping up ice and continuing his business.

Elsa did not lie completely – a few minutes after their conversation with the royals, Elsa had thrown on a medal around his neck, smiling.

"Made for the Official Ice Master and Deliverer," she told him, giving him a kiss.

"Wait, so…" he scratched his head. "You were being serious?"

"Well, how else could a 'commoner' be with the queen?"

Kristoff couldn't argue.

As they watched the ships leave the harbor one by one, Elsa sighed contently and leaned against Kristoff's shoulder.

"What a journey this has been," she said, chuckling. "Who knows what would have happened if I had never met you – "

"I wouldn't be here right now," he responded. "I wouldn't know you, or talk to you, or be _in love _with you…so I try not to think about it." Through gritted teeth, he added, "That bastard deserved to die."

"Kristoff…" Elsa turned to him. "Hans did bad things and he had bad intentions, but…he didn't deserve to – "

"He hurt you," Kristoff interrupted. "Anyone who hurts you…"

Elsa wrapped her arms around him, putting two fingers to his lips. "You're so overprotective," she commented through a laugh. "But it's sweet. Just…promise me you won't…kill anyone anymore?"

"That depends on whether or not they cause you pain," he replied, but he managed to end up with a smile. "I promise."

After a few minutes, Kristoff sighed. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but if I don't get a head start, I might never be able to make the business a success.

The queen's eyes widened, and she turned to him. "Wait…you're leaving, already? But it's been so – "

The harvester held her softly. "I know, but I think it'll be best if I resume everything immediately: after all, I'm the official deliverer, aren't I? I've got expectations," he said, chuckling.

"But…" Elsa frowned. "There's going to be a ball tonight, and I'm going to have to dance with someone…"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "…Oh?" He shrugged. "Couldn't you just refuse to dance?"

"I could, but…" a smile grew on her lips. "I was hoping I'd be able to dance with you."

The mountain man blushed slightly. "God, Elsa, I don't know…I mean, I guess I could stay a night or two, but I don't know how to – "

"-dance?" Elsa's eye twinkled mischievously. "What are we waiting for? I'll teach you!"

Before Kristoff could protest, Elsa had grabbed his hand and they were in the castle in an instant.

"This is not fair!"

"I know!"

"Elsa, I really don't – "

"Would you rather have me dance with someone else?"

"…Fine."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The gates hardly ever closed after that – Princess Anna, after so much isolation, wanted them to be open as much as possible.

She encouraged the public to come visit her, and one visitor in particular she fell in love with – a young man named Casper Aadland.

It was not love at first sight – she had learned from her experience with Hans – but it was love nonetheless.

Elsa, on the other hand, had countless queenly duties to attend to. Day through night, she would look over documents and sign them. Rinse and repeat.

It could be tedious at times, but remembering the wonderful, accepting kingdom she was doing it for, she told herself it was worth it. She also got to look forward to the weekends…

_Friday _

Elsa had just gone through the largest stack of papers she'd ever seen before – it was quite possibly the most tedious thing in the world.

Sighing, she leaned back and wiped the sweat from her brow.

_It's five o'clock… _Elsa thought, a smile overtaking her exhausted features. _Kristoff should be here any minute now – _

As if on cue, the door opened up slowly, and there stood a tired but happy looking ice harvester.

"Kristoff!" The queen exclaimed, running over to the man.

The man chuckled, ruffling her hair gently as she pecked him on the lips. "Hey, you," he said, laughing.

The two were out of the castle and onto Kristoff's sled in almost no time at all.

"Where are you taking me this time?" Elsa giggled – she rarely did so, still. Leave it to Kristoff to make her.

"We're going to stop by the cabin for the night," he started. "And then, we're off to see our dear friends the trolls." He shuffled with something behind him. "Close your eyes!" he ordered, slipping out a plastic wrapping from a small box.

Elsa laughed once more, her eyes now closed. "Kristoff, what are – mmph!"

The man had slipped a chocolate ball – caramel, Elsa's favorite – into her mouth, laughing as her eyes widened in surprise.

Popping one into his own mouth, he grinned. "I got some for Anna, too – "

"No," the queen whined, pouting. "Mine."

And then she frowned. "Well, we can buy Anna some on the way back, but…"

Kristoff laughed. "Of course," he replied. "But as of right now, there's no rush."

Elsa nodded, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. "No rush…that sounds good, for once." She patted his chest affectionately. "Thanks for this, week after week…you don't know how much this helps."

Kristoff grinned down at her. "Anything for her Majesty."

Not five minutes later, Elsa was fast asleep, humming adorably as her chest rose and fell.

Kristoff smiled to himself and shook his head. With everything as it currently was, it seemed all right.

Elsa was happy, and so was Anna – and Kristoff was happy, too. Sven neighed back at him, Kristoff shrugged. "Yeah, buddy," he said slowly. "It's still going to happen. I'm ready, and I hope she is too."

Reaching into his back pocket, he confirmed the safety of the object by patting the area – inside was a black, velvet box. Perhaps there was a ring inside as well.

Thinking about popping the question in just a couple of days was already beginning to get the Kristoff. He began to sweat and he shook his head, shoving the thoughts out of his head.

"That's not yet, Kristoff; just chill out." He glanced to his side and smirked. "It should be a lot easier since you've got the snow queen on your shoulder, heh…"

As they arrived at the cabin, Kristoff lifted Elsa up with ease and carried her bridal style into the building.

Setting her down on the bed she had first slept in a while ago, Kristoff leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you."

He really did – after all, in a couple of days he would be expressing just how much he loved her through the process of kneeling down and presenting a ring.

He hoped that Elsa would respond with a "yes". He hoped that she would be just as excited as he was about their new life together. He hoped that he could slip the ring on her finger, knowing that they would love each other for the rest of their lives.

They did.

**Fin**


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